Get items from a hosted windows form designer in c#

Question

I was trying to create a custom form designer with this article: http://www.developerfusion.com/article/4351/hosting-windows-forms-designers/ that lets you create a custom form, visual studio alike. but I can't figure out how to get all the controls in the created form, does someone know how to do this?

I used this code from the article:

using System;
using System.Drawing;
using System.Drawing.Design;
using System.Collections;
using System.ComponentModel;
using System.ComponentModel.Design;
using System.ComponentModel.Design.Serialization;
using System.Windows.Forms;
using System.Windows.Forms.Design;
using System.Data;

namespace Hosting
{
    public class frmMain : System.Windows.Forms.Form
    {
        private System.Windows.Forms.PropertyGrid propertyGrid;
        private System.Windows.Forms.Splitter splitter1;
        private System.Windows.Forms.Panel panel1;
        private System.Windows.Forms.Panel pnlViewHost;
        private System.Windows.Forms.Splitter splitter2;
        private ToolboxService lstToolbox;
        private System.Windows.Forms.Label lblSelectedComponent;
        private System.Windows.Forms.MainMenu mainMenu1;
        private System.Windows.Forms.MenuItem menuItem1;
        private System.Windows.Forms.MenuItem mnuDelete;
        private MenuItem menuItem2;
        private IContainer components;

        public frmMain()
        {
            //
            // Required for Windows Form Designer support
            //
            InitializeComponent();

            Initialize();

        }

        protected override void Dispose( bool disposing )
        {
            if( disposing )
            {
                if (components != null) 
                {
                    components.Dispose();
                }
            }
            base.Dispose( disposing );
        }

        #region Windows Form Designer generated code
        /// <summary>
        /// Required method for Designer support - do not modify
        /// the contents of this method with the code editor.
        /// </summary>
        private void InitializeComponent()
        {
            this.components = new System.ComponentModel.Container();
            this.propertyGrid = new System.Windows.Forms.PropertyGrid();
            this.splitter1 = new System.Windows.Forms.Splitter();
            this.panel1 = new System.Windows.Forms.Panel();
            this.splitter2 = new System.Windows.Forms.Splitter();
            this.lblSelectedComponent = new System.Windows.Forms.Label();
            this.pnlViewHost = new System.Windows.Forms.Panel();
            this.mainMenu1 = new System.Windows.Forms.MainMenu(this.components);
            this.menuItem1 = new System.Windows.Forms.MenuItem();
            this.mnuDelete = new System.Windows.Forms.MenuItem();
            this.lstToolbox = new Hosting.ToolboxService();
            this.menuItem2 = new System.Windows.Forms.MenuItem();
            this.panel1.SuspendLayout();
            this.SuspendLayout();
            // 
            // propertyGrid
            // 
            this.propertyGrid.Dock = System.Windows.Forms.DockStyle.Bottom;
            this.propertyGrid.LineColor = System.Drawing.SystemColors.ScrollBar;
            this.propertyGrid.Location = new System.Drawing.Point(0, 182);
            this.propertyGrid.Name = "propertyGrid";
            this.propertyGrid.Size = new System.Drawing.Size(224, 312);
            this.propertyGrid.TabIndex = 0;
            // 
            // splitter1
            // 
            this.splitter1.Dock = System.Windows.Forms.DockStyle.Right;
            this.splitter1.Location = new System.Drawing.Point(596, 0);
            this.splitter1.Name = "splitter1";
            this.splitter1.Size = new System.Drawing.Size(4, 518);
            this.splitter1.TabIndex = 1;
            this.splitter1.TabStop = false;
            // 
            // panel1
            // 
            this.panel1.Controls.Add(this.lstToolbox);
            this.panel1.Controls.Add(this.splitter2);
            this.panel1.Controls.Add(this.propertyGrid);
            this.panel1.Controls.Add(this.lblSelectedComponent);
            this.panel1.Dock = System.Windows.Forms.DockStyle.Right;
            this.panel1.Location = new System.Drawing.Point(600, 0);
            this.panel1.Name = "panel1";
            this.panel1.Size = new System.Drawing.Size(224, 518);
            this.panel1.TabIndex = 2;
            // 
            // splitter2
            // 
            this.splitter2.Dock = System.Windows.Forms.DockStyle.Bottom;
            this.splitter2.Location = new System.Drawing.Point(0, 178);
            this.splitter2.Name = "splitter2";
            this.splitter2.Size = new System.Drawing.Size(224, 4);
            this.splitter2.TabIndex = 1;
            this.splitter2.TabStop = false;
            // 
            // lblSelectedComponent
            // 
            this.lblSelectedComponent.Dock = System.Windows.Forms.DockStyle.Bottom;
            this.lblSelectedComponent.Location = new System.Drawing.Point(0, 494);
            this.lblSelectedComponent.Name = "lblSelectedComponent";
            this.lblSelectedComponent.Size = new System.Drawing.Size(224, 24);
            this.lblSelectedComponent.TabIndex = 3;
            this.lblSelectedComponent.TextAlign = System.Drawing.ContentAlignment.MiddleCenter;
            // 
            // pnlViewHost
            // 
            this.pnlViewHost.BackColor = System.Drawing.SystemColors.Window;
            this.pnlViewHost.Dock = System.Windows.Forms.DockStyle.Fill;
            this.pnlViewHost.Location = new System.Drawing.Point(0, 0);
            this.pnlViewHost.Name = "pnlViewHost";
            this.pnlViewHost.Size = new System.Drawing.Size(596, 518);
            this.pnlViewHost.TabIndex = 3;
            // 
            // mainMenu1
            // 
            this.mainMenu1.MenuItems.AddRange(new System.Windows.Forms.MenuItem[] {
            this.menuItem1});
            // 
            // menuItem1
            // 
            this.menuItem1.Index = 0;
            this.menuItem1.MenuItems.AddRange(new System.Windows.Forms.MenuItem[] {
            this.mnuDelete,
            this.menuItem2});
            this.menuItem1.Text = "&Edit";
            // 
            // mnuDelete
            // 
            this.mnuDelete.Index = 0;
            this.mnuDelete.Shortcut = System.Windows.Forms.Shortcut.Del;
            this.mnuDelete.Text = "&Delete";
            this.mnuDelete.Click += new System.EventHandler(this.mnuDelete_Click);
            // 
            // lstToolbox
            // 
            this.lstToolbox.BackColor = System.Drawing.SystemColors.Control;
            this.lstToolbox.BorderStyle = System.Windows.Forms.BorderStyle.None;
            this.lstToolbox.Dock = System.Windows.Forms.DockStyle.Fill;
            this.lstToolbox.Font = new System.Drawing.Font("Tahoma", 9.75F, System.Drawing.FontStyle.Bold, System.Drawing.GraphicsUnit.Point, ((byte)(0)));
            this.lstToolbox.IntegralHeight = false;
            this.lstToolbox.ItemHeight = 16;
            this.lstToolbox.Location = new System.Drawing.Point(0, 0);
            this.lstToolbox.Name = "lstToolbox";
            this.lstToolbox.SelectedCategory = null;
            this.lstToolbox.Size = new System.Drawing.Size(224, 178);
            this.lstToolbox.Sorted = true;
            this.lstToolbox.TabIndex = 2;
            // 
            // menuItem2
            // 
            this.menuItem2.Index = 1;
            this.menuItem2.Text = "Save";
            this.menuItem2.Click += new System.EventHandler(this.menuItem2_Click);
            // 
            // frmMain
            // 
            this.AutoScaleBaseSize = new System.Drawing.Size(5, 14);
            this.ClientSize = new System.Drawing.Size(824, 518);
            this.Controls.Add(this.pnlViewHost);
            this.Controls.Add(this.splitter1);
            this.Controls.Add(this.panel1);
            this.Font = new System.Drawing.Font("Tahoma", 8.25F, System.Drawing.FontStyle.Regular, System.Drawing.GraphicsUnit.Point, ((byte)(0)));
            this.Menu = this.mainMenu1;
            this.Name = "frmMain";
            this.Text = "Designer Hosting Sample";
            this.panel1.ResumeLayout(false);
            this.ResumeLayout(false);

        }
        #endregion

        [STAThread]
        static void Main() 
        {
            Application.Run(new frmMain());
        }

        private ServiceContainer serviceContainer = null;
        private MenuCommandService menuService = null;
        Control view;
        private void Initialize()
        {
            IDesignerHost host;
            Form form;
            IRootDesigner rootDesigner;

            // Initialise service container and designer host
            serviceContainer = new ServiceContainer();
            serviceContainer.AddService(typeof(INameCreationService), new NameCreationService());
            serviceContainer.AddService(typeof(IUIService), new UIService(this));
            host = new DesignerHost(serviceContainer);

            // Add toolbox service
            serviceContainer.AddService(typeof(IToolboxService), lstToolbox);
            lstToolbox.designPanel = pnlViewHost;
            PopulateToolbox(lstToolbox);

            // Add menu command service
            menuService = new MenuCommandService();
            serviceContainer.AddService(typeof(IMenuCommandService), menuService);

            // Start the designer host off with a Form to design
            form = (Form)host.CreateComponent(typeof(Form));
            form.TopLevel = false;
            form.Text = "Form1";

            // Get the root designer for the form and add its design view to this form
            rootDesigner = (IRootDesigner)host.GetDesigner(form);
            view = (Control)rootDesigner.GetView(ViewTechnology.Default);

            view.Dock = DockStyle.Fill;
            pnlViewHost.Controls.Add(view);

            // Subscribe to the selectionchanged event and activate the designer
            ISelectionService s = (ISelectionService)serviceContainer.GetService(typeof(ISelectionService));
            s.SelectionChanged += new EventHandler(OnSelectionChanged);
            host.Activate();
        }

        private void PopulateToolbox(IToolboxService toolbox)
        {
            toolbox.AddToolboxItem(new ToolboxItem(typeof(Button)));
            toolbox.AddToolboxItem(new ToolboxItem(typeof(ListView)));
            toolbox.AddToolboxItem(new ToolboxItem(typeof(TreeView)));
            toolbox.AddToolboxItem(new ToolboxItem(typeof(TextBox)));
            toolbox.AddToolboxItem(new ToolboxItem(typeof(Label)));
            toolbox.AddToolboxItem(new ToolboxItem(typeof(TabControl)));
            toolbox.AddToolboxItem(new ToolboxItem(typeof(OpenFileDialog)));
            toolbox.AddToolboxItem(new ToolboxItem(typeof(CheckBox)));
            toolbox.AddToolboxItem(new ToolboxItem(typeof(ComboBox)));
            toolbox.AddToolboxItem(new ToolboxItem(typeof(GroupBox)));
            toolbox.AddToolboxItem(new ToolboxItem(typeof(ImageList)));
            toolbox.AddToolboxItem(new ToolboxItem(typeof(Panel)));
            toolbox.AddToolboxItem(new ToolboxItem(typeof(ProgressBar)));
            toolbox.AddToolboxItem(new ToolboxItem(typeof(ToolBar)));
            toolbox.AddToolboxItem(new ToolboxItem(typeof(ToolTip)));
            toolbox.AddToolboxItem(new ToolboxItem(typeof(StatusBar)));
        }

        private void OnSelectionChanged(object sender, System.EventArgs e)
        {
            ISelectionService s = (ISelectionService)serviceContainer.GetService(typeof(ISelectionService));

            object[] selection;
            if (s.SelectionCount == 0)
                propertyGrid.SelectedObject = null;
            else
            {
                selection = new object[s.SelectionCount];
                s.GetSelectedComponents().CopyTo(selection, 0);
                propertyGrid.SelectedObjects = selection;
            }

            if (s.PrimarySelection == null)
                lblSelectedComponent.Text = "";
            else
            {
                IComponent component = (IComponent)s.PrimarySelection;
                lblSelectedComponent.Text = component.Site.Name + " (" + component.GetType().Name + ")";
            }
        }

        private void mnuDelete_Click(object sender, System.EventArgs e)
        {
            menuService.GlobalInvoke(StandardCommands.Delete);
        }

    }
}

Here is what I tried:

        // And then i tried this to get all the controls and write them to a python tkinter file:
        private void menuItem2_Click(object sender, EventArgs e)
        {
            System.IO.StreamWriter sw = new System.IO.StreamWriter("output.py");
            sw.WriteLine("from tkinter import *\n");
            sw.WriteLine("# Main form");
            sw.WriteLine(this.Name + " = Tk()\n");
            foreach (IComponent b in components.Components)
            {
                MessageBox.Show(b.GetType().ToString());
                if (b.GetType() == typeof(Button))
                {
                    Button but = (Button)b;
                    sw.WriteLine("# " + but.Name);
                    sw.WriteLine(but.Name + " = Button(" + this.Name + @"fg=""" + but.ForeColor.Name + @"""bg=""" + but.BackColor.Name + @"""" + ")");
                }
            }
            sw.Close();
       }

thanks in advance.

Answer 1

You get add control by use for loop.

foreach(Control c in form.Controls)
{
   //You can save all attribute for each control on file or database
   //c.Left, c.Top, c.Name,...
}

When you reload control in to form, use by code:

TextBox textbox = (TextBox)host.CreateComponent(typeof(TextBox));
textbox.Left = your value save before;
textbox.Top = your value save before;
textbox.Text = your text save before;
form.Controls.Add(textbox);

..Similar for orther controls